The Promise of a Goddess
by wordstomyears
Summary: Stephanie Triggs never intended to be an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. In fact, she's questioning the job altogether, especially after chaos ensues with the arrival of the villainous Loki, a trickster god who seems to have her confused with someone else.
1. Promises We Keep

**A/N: When I first came up with the character of Stephanie Triggs, I was a little nervous because I knew I would be writing a common trope. But since people have been encouraging me to write her story saying they would read the heck out of this and whatnot, I've finally decided to publish what I've been working on it for a while now.**

 **I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

"Do you want to hear a story?" She asked, leaning on the window sill. Her brown eyes focused on the skyline of the city.

"You've heard their story but you've never heard mine. Or hers." She turned around, her eyes lowering. "Would you like to hear her story?" She raised her gaze.

A ghost of a smile formed on her face. "I like to think this story started before she met him. I like to think it started long before... long before I was even born. I like to think it was written in the stars." She mused.

She peered back out the window. "Funny how you can't see the stars from here." She let out a soft breath, her eyes drifting up to the night sky. She waited a moment, letting silence wash over her before continuing.

"I like to think that it all started with a promise."

* * *

 _There was something entirely intimidating about that day._

 _Sigyn was not a person who was used to have all eyes on her. She rarely put herself in a situation where she was the center of attention. Yet, there she was. All of Asgard was watching her as she made either the biggest mistake... or the greatest decision of her entire life. She wished she was certain of which one it was herself but the truth was that she was still nervous. Sigyn tried to convince herself that she knew what she was doing because, despite the uncertainty, she knew one thing for sure. She had waited for this day to come._

 _And she wasn't going to back out now._

 _She was escorted by her father and mother, holding on to each of their hands. She felt a little more at ease with them by her side, even if she knew their true thoughts on her impending nuptials. The rest of her family followed closely behind her. Sigyn belonged to one of the noblest families in all of Asgard. It was no surprise that when she was born, people knew she was one day going to grow up to marry one of Odin's sons. It was practically her destiny to marry a prince. Most Asgardian girls would embrace such a fate when growing up but as a child, Sigyn met the concept with hesitation and skepticism._

 _Part of her didn't like the fact that all of Asgard knew that one of the princes would be bound to fall in love and marry her. It felt like the choice was completely out of her hands. But no one could predict which prince she would end up choosing. It was hardly the popular pick of the parents involved in the arrangement but it was the choice her heart had made._

 _Sigyn reminded herself that above all else, this was the choice that she made on her own. And if she had made it on her own then it had to be the right choice. Even with all eyes on her, she maintained her gaze focused on the only thing that truly mattered to her. Her future husband._

 _Loki._

 _She smiled brightly as soon as he caught sight of her. She barely even noticed the twinkle in his eyes, the catch of his breath, and the shine of excitement that filled his smile as soon as he laid eyes on her. Instead, Sigyn tried to hold herself back from laughing. Unfortunately, Sigyn wasn't quite used to see him in his full armor._

 _Out of every_ _thought that could've been running through her head on her wedding day, she couldn't help but think that he looked a little funny with the horns. Loki raised his brows as soon as he caught the amused look on her face. "What?" Loki mouthed to her, hoping she could see him. He wasn't too far away but still worried about it. He didn't want that smirk on her face to mean anything that would be embarrassing for him. Loki wanted this day to go perfectly, after all._

 _Sigyn let go of her father's hand to point to the top of her head, which was vacant of any horned helmet. Loki blinked and reached up, touching the horns on his helmet. He chuckled as he realized she was teasing him. The young man almost forgot she wasn't used to seeing him this way. She giggled at his reaction but then quickly clasped her hand over her mouth to quiet herself as soon as she realized how loud she was being. Her mother sent her a look._

 _"Sorry. My apologies." The girl hurried her words out. Her mother didn't blame her, however. Sigyn was still young. She could get away with being childish. But she knew as soon as she was married, her mother would no longer go easy on her._

 _It wasn't long before she reached her future husband. Sigyn stood with her family before Odin and all of Asgard. She took Loki's hand and gave him a tight squeeze. It was reassurance that she could tell he needed. There was a silent understanding between the two of them. Both of them were nervous and both of them wanted this day to go well more than anything. Loki and Sigyn knew they didn't have the best start to their courtship or even engagement so it meant a lot to the both of them for their marriage to start out on the right foot._

 _Loki turned to admire her from head to toe,"You look radiant." He complimented. He looked up to meet her eyes and she smiled at him. She looked relieved more than anything. But then she gave him a gentle smirk,"You don't look so bad yourself, your royal highness." Sigyn told him. He rolled his eyes playfully, knowing she was concealing the quiet shyness she was known for. He reached over and removed her dark green robe. Loki took in the sight of her wedding dress._

 _"That's better." He whispered, earning a blush from Sigyn. His voice had been so quiet. She felt like she was the only one in Asgard who had heard him._

 _Odin eyed the young couple and silently asked them if they were prepared to continue. Loki didn't notice his father at first until Sigyn turned towards Odin. He soon caught up, however, and gave his father a firm nod of his head._

 _"We gather here today to witness the union between two souls, Loki Odinson and Lady Sigyn." Odin spoke loudly to the crowd of people. His gaze shifted back to the young couple,"I trust you both have come prepared." He gestured, reminding them of what was to happen next in the ceremony. Sigyn looked over at Loki,"I trust you didn't leave your sword with your brother." She joked, earning a look from Thor. "I'm standing right here." Thor reminded her. She chuckled at her friend and future brother. "Sorry. My apologies." Sigyn told him, managing to stay sincere despite her teasing. Thor matched her sincere look with a courteous nod of his head._

 _Loki chuckled lightly,"No worries, my love. I left it with someone I actually trust." He moved away from his bride and past his brother, approaching Frigga. "Mother." He met his mother's eyes with a playful look. She sighed at him and produced the sword from her side._

 _"You know, you are lucky that girl still wants to marry you after what you pulled." Frigga mentioned quietly to him, making sure she wasn't overheard by her husband or her other son. He gave her a look, knowing she was the only one who knew his secret on how he obtained Sigyn's ring for their wedding day. But that would be a story for another time._

 _"You seem to forget that she's been wanting to marry me for a very long time." He decided to retort than respond honestly to his mother before returning to his bride. "See? No problem at all." Loki assured Sigyn as he approached her. Though there was some unease in his voice. She gave him a vague look before deciding to find her father's eyes. Sigyn sent him a warm smile as he began to approach her._

 _Her father pulled his sword from its sheath, passing the weapon to his youngest daughter. "Thank you." She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He tried to keep a straight face as his daughter took his sword from him but Sigyn saw the tears in his eyes._

 _"An exchange of swords from your ancestral lines. Loki, my son, this sword that will be given to you once belonged to Sigyn's father. He used this very sword to protect his daughter and now you will use it to protect your bride and the family you will one day have together. Lady Sigyn, this sword that will be given to you is a sword that will one day be passed on to the children you and my son will one day have together." The king spoke as Loki and Sigyn passed their swords to one another._

 _Odin looked over at his wife,"My love, I trust you have our son's ring." He said. Frigga nodded her head and moved forward to place the ring on the tip of Loki's new sword. Sigyn caught the sight of the beautiful golden ring,"Loki, it's beautiful." She remarked._ _Loki smiled as she admired the ring,"The Andvaranaut." He informed her._

 _She recognized the meaning of his words but raised both of her brows. "A gift? From who?" She inquired._

 _"Andvari. This is a magical ring, my love. It brought him great wealth and fortune." Loki explained. She chuckled a little in surprise,"And he just gave it to you?" Sigyn asked him. His eyes shifted to his mother before returning on his bride. "I talked him into it. An early wedding present." Loki was used to telling lies, even to her. She usually was able to see through them but she didn't see through this lie._

 _Sigyn laughed as her mother came to place the ring she had for him on the tip of her new sword. "Mine isn't as grand. This ring used to belong to my eldest brother before he fell in battle. His wife– his widow– my sister... she wanted me to have it for this day." She informed him. Loki admired the ring,"It's perfect." He told her. She gave him a look, knowing it was nothing compared to the ring he acquired for her._

 _"Loki– my son, do you swear before me, your king and father, that you want to marry this woman?" Odin asked, gaining Loki's attention. The young man turned to look at his father before looking back at Sigyn. "I swear_. _" He spoke firmly. There was no doubt for the price that he wanted to marry the woman at his side. He loved Sigyn, more and more every day._

 _"And Sigyn, do you swear before me, your king, that you want to marry this man?" Odin turned to her, meeting her eyes. "I swear_ , _" Sigyn answered him. She looked back to Loki and the both of them crossed their swords, exchanging rings._ _Odin smiled at the sight before finishing the ceremony. "Then I pronounce you, before all of Asgard, husband and wife!" The king declared loudly for all to hear._

 _The crowd exploded into cheers and music began to play. Sigyn took off her engagement ring before placing on the Andvaranaut. She then placed her engagement ring back on, knowing she admired it far too much not to wear it with her wedding ring. Sigyn looked up, noticing her husband had placed his wedding ring on his finger as well. She grinned happily at him._

 _"Is it too late to change my mind?" Sigyn asked him playfully. Loki laughed,"I suppose I should kiss you now before you change your mind." He decided, taking a step closer to her. "Yes, please." She told him as he moved forward to kiss her. His lips crashed against hers. Loki kissed her fiercely, wrapping his arms around her waist. She cupped his face softly and deepened the kiss._

 _It had become deafening amongst the crowd and the music but she could swear she heard his heart skip a beat the moment she had to pull away._

 _"Is something wrong?" Loki was quick to ask. He was a little shocked but mainly terrified that something was wrong. Sigyn rarely pulled away from his kiss. She was surprised as well but she shook her head at him. "I... I don't know." Sigyn admitted. She had to admit, it was kind of a funny feeling. Yet it seemed fearful as well. "Something felt– I mean... it was odd, all of a sudden. It was odd because... it was wrong. Something was wrong." She confessed._

 _He tried to laugh it off,"It wasn't me, I hope." Loki was joking but he was trying to hide his concern. She didn't respond to him right away which only worried him more. "Sigyn?" He asked, waiting for her attention. Her eyes snapped back to him and she shook his head. "Nothing. It's... nothing." She said. "Do you promise?" He asked her. "You're making me_ worried. _" Loki admitted._

 _She nodded her head at him,"I promise." She assured._

* * *

"What the fuck?" Stephanie snapped awake, raising her head and looking around her apartment. She had passed out on her couch the night before and she could still hear her television running. She turned to her side, leaning over to grab the remote. She clicked off the screen and let out a groan, burying her face in a pillow. Stephanie had made a promise to herself that she would no longer sleep on her couch when she had a perfectly good bed waiting for her. She had grown used to coming home late at night, being too tired to make it to her bedroom. Now that she had a few days off from work, she found it hard to break that habit.

She scratched her head, trying to remember what she had dreamed about last night. She remembered it left her with an odd feeling because while the details of the dream were vague or completely out of her memory, she did recall that it had to do with a wedding. She almost laughed to herself, knowing that she never once had a serious relationship to date.

It wasn't long since she woke up until she heard the sound of barking. Stephanie smiled at the familiar sound, soon being joined by her long-time friend and companion. An aging German Sheperd entered the living room, leaving the bedroom. The dog barked before joining Stephanie on the couch. The woman narrowed her eyes for a moment, looking to her bedroom, and then finally back at her dog. "At least someone's making good use of that bed." Stephanie commented before getting off the couch.

The woman collected her phone before petting her dog's head. "Let's see if I remembered to charge this last night, Astrid." She said, looking at the dog. Astrid barked in response. Stephanie gave her dog a look,"I could've remembered." She argued before trying to turn her phone on. When she realized the phone was dead, she frowned. Astrid barked once again much to Stephanie's displeasure. "Shut up." She sighed before chuckling a little. She moved over to scratch the dog's head. "You're right, Astrid. I'm a mess." She shook her head.

Stephanie moved past the couch, heading towards her bedroom. She went over to her desk, looking for her phone charger before plugging it in. As soon as she plugged her phone in, the woman waited a few seconds before trying to turn it on. "Come on... come on... come on..." She whispered to herself. She sighed, deciding to wait for it to charge a little before she tried to use it again.

She exited her room and headed toward the kitchen. "Astrid, _koma_!" She called and her dog was quick to join her. Stephanie grabbed the dog's bowl before filling it with dog food. She grabbed a bowl from her cupboard before opening her fridge. She grabbed a carton of milk before looking at the counter. "What do you think, Astrid? Fruit loops?" She asked, turning her head to see that her dog was more focused on food than her. "Typical." She sighed before pouring the fruit loops into her bowl. She poured in the milk, about to grab a spoon from a drawer, but she stopped suddenly when she heard it.

Her ringtone.

Astrid looked up from her meal and barked. "Shh." Stephanie told her dog before setting down her bowl of cereal. She went back inside her room, noticing that her phone was ringing. She looked on the screen, reading the contact as 'unknown number'. Despite her phone not recognizing the caller, Stephanie had an idea as to who it was. She picked up the phone, letting out a breath. Finally, she answered the call and held her phone up to her ear.

"Hill?" She asked.

" _Triggs_." Maria responded from the other end of the line.

Stephanie frowned,"We agreed to a few days. A few days so I can figure out if this is really what I want to do with my life–" She began. " _Stephanie, just hear me out_ –" Maria tried to stop her from continuing. "Hear you out? My father raised me to be a cop, not a spy. When he and my mom took me in they made it clear to me that I wasn't just some charity case, I was their daughter and that they would raise me like I was their own. And when they died I promised myself that I would be the person they raised me to be–" " _Stephanie, I'm familiar with the story but can you please just let me_ –" "No! No... I'm not doing this again. Just because you are my boss that does not mean I will not hang up on you right now." She stated.

" _Stephanie_ –"

Before she could stop herself, she hung up the phone. Stephanie let out a squeak, realizing what she had done. She waited for a second or two to breath before the phone rang again. She picked it up once again, answering the call.

" _Are you done? Did you get it out of your system?_ " Maria asked her. "Yes. I did. Please don't fire me." Stephanie begged, biting her lip. Maria sighed into the phone," _Unfortunately, that's not my call to make. Especially not after what's happened._ " Maria admitted. "What happened?" Stephanie asked her. " _We've suffered a severe security breach. We need you to come in_." She explained.

"Maria, I can't–" " _Please, Stephanie. Fury gave out orders for a general call. That's everyone not on rescue._ "

She paused, repeating Maria's words over in her head. She could tell by the woman's voice that it wasn't just Fury who needed her. Stephanie might have been recruited by the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. but he wasn't her superior officer. Maria was. She was the one who always looked out for Stephanie.

"If I come back, then I'm saying yes to the job I'm still not sure about–" " _How long have you been working at S.H.I.E.L.D.?_ " Maria stopped her before she could finish. Stephanie furrowed her brows, confused by the shift in conversation. "Seven months." She answered. " _And in those months you have broken the record for the highest clearance of a junior agent. If you come back in today– I'll raise your clearance_." Maria tempted.

Stephanie pursed her lips together before coming to a decision. "I want Barton's level." She negotiated. " _No way am I giving you as much clearance as Barton_ –" "Barton's level... or yours." " _I have a level nine._ " Maria reminded her. Stephanie smirked,"I'm aware of what level you have, Maria. It's either the same as Barton's or the same as yours." She played her cards and waited for the woman's response. " _There's no way in hell I'm going you anything above a five._ " Maria told her.

"Then I'll take a five."

Maria chuckled a little," _Let me guess. That was your plan all along._ " She mused. Stephanie raised her brow,"How'd you guess?" She asked innocently. " _I hope your parents didn't raise you to be manipulative._ " Maria said. "Manipulative? No. That's just something I was born with." She responded with a sly smile. "I'll be there as soon as I can." Stephanie added. " _I'll send a car for you that will be there in twenty minutes._ " Maria told her before hanging up.

Her dog barked, marching into her room. "Looks like I'm going back a couple of days early, Astrid." She informed the canine. Stephanie blinked before looking down at the dog. "You don't think I'm weird for talking to you like a person, am I?" She asked. Astrid barked back. Stephanie smiled,"That's what I thought too." She replied.

* * *

"You're not in uniform." Maria remarked as Stephanie entered the bridge of the helicarrier. Stephanie looked around the bridge at all of the other agents that were in uniform. She frowned,"I didn't realize it was this serious." She admitted as she looked back at Maria. Her superior officer approached her, producing a new clearance badge for her. "Level five, as promised. Be careful, it's still hot." She deadpanned before marching back over to her station.

Stephanie clipped her new badge to the hem of her leather jacket. "Do you mind debriefing me?" She asked as she caught up with Maria. "You shouldn't have taken a few days off." Maria commented. Stephanie narrowed her eyes at her superior officer,"I'm here now, aren't I?" She pointed out. "Only after I bribed you." Maria retorted, turning around to raise a brow at the junior agent.

"It's nice to see, Agent Hill, that you are handling your agent with flying colors." Fury turned around to look at the two women. Stephanie smiled at the man,"Director Fury, would you do the honors of debriefing me?" She asked him. Fury chuckled, looking at Maria. "Sorry to break it you, Agent Triggs, but I'm with Agent Hill on this one." Fury confessed which earned a smirk from Maria.

She looked at the two agents,"Seriously? Is no one going to tell me what's going on?" Stephanie questioned. Fury laughed a little, crossing his arms over his chest,"I don't know. I kind of want to see your reaction when Captain America, Romanoff, and Bruce Banner walk into the room and you don't know what the hell is going on." He shrugged his shoulders. Stephanie narrowed her eyes at him,"Captain America?" She asked. Her eyes shifted to Maria,"Romanoff?" She asked with no response. "And Banner?"

Fury chuckled at the young agent,"I'm kind of liking her reaction, what about you?" He asked, looking at Maria. She studied Stephanie for a moment,"I think we should make her squirm a little more." Maria told him. Stephanie scoffed at them,"I can go straight back home if that's what you want me to–" "Don't be silly, Agent Triggs. Hill and I were just having some fun. Besides, soon that won't be possible. We're going to be taking off soon." Fury informed her.

"Now, can you tell me what's going on?" Stephanie asked, looking at Maria.

Maria leaned over, patting the girl's back. "Sure thing, junior. Follow me." She said, leading Stephanie out.

* * *

"The tesseract was stolen recently by the Norse god, Loki, brother of Thor. He was able to accomplish this with help from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s consultant, Dr. Erik Selvig, who was undergoing research on the tesseract and Agent Clint Barton, who's now been compromised by the enemy." Maria started her debriefing, frowning when she mentioned Barton. Stephanie blinked in shock which didn't surprise her superior officer. She knew that the girl admired Barton. Maria pursed her lips together,"Compromised doesn't necessarily mean turned… Stephanie. Fury believes that Loki brainwashed Barton and the scientist." She told her.

Stephanie looked at the screen, seeing Barton's face on the screen. "Was he there?" She asked. Maria nodded her head,"He was." She confirmed. Stephanie nodded her head slowly,"Proceed." She said firmly, which assured Maria enough to continue the debriefing.

Footage of Loki's escape came onto the screen. Maria frowned, seeing herself on camera not noticing anything was wrong at first, because it was Barton. It was an agent she trusted. Stephanie narrowed her eyes at the screen,"Pause it." She instructed. Maria was quick to freeze the image. Stephanie stood up from her chair, walking towards the screen.

Her eyes scanned the frozen image of Loki. "Is this him? The Norse god?" She asked. Maria nodded her head in confirmation,"It is." Maria told her. Stephanie studied the frozen image, blinking a few times. She didn't know what she should've expected. If she hadn't known that this man, this god, had somehow brainwashed Barton, maybe she would've felt differently. But looking at him, felt like looking at a disaster. Stephanie couldn't look away. "He looks like a crazy person." She whispered to herself. Maria furrowed her brows at the junior agent,"Shall I proceed?" She asked her.

"Proceed." Stephanie nodded her head.

* * *

 _There was once a time where the man remembered he could sit patiently. If he remembered correctly, it was something that Loki had learned to do when growing up. He learned that too much of oneself was given away when sitting impatiently. Too many emotions were shown. After he realized that, Loki could keep still for the longest time._

 _But there was always something about her that broke his patience. Because as patient as he tried to be with her, he knew there were times when he couldn't sit patiently. He couldn't wait around for what he knew was going to happen to... happen._

 _For him, waiting had become the worst thing in the world._

 _He lowed his gaze to his hands and he bit his lower lip, trying to hold back fear. But it was no use. He couldn't do this for her. He just wasn't strong enough. Tears came to his eyes before he had realized they had even arrived. His breathing became labored and shaky, indicating his unstable state._

 _Loki didn't want to break down. He didn't want her to see he wasn't able to handle this. He never wanted to wake her but he had started crying. It was his soft cries that woke her. She studied him and knew in her heart that this whole thing was hurting him more than it hurt her. S_ _he pursed her lips together, swallowing a lump in her throat before giving herself the chance to speak._

 _"Why are you crying, my love?" Sigyn reached out her hand, gently grazing the back of her husband's knuckles with her own. Loki looked up from his hands to meet her weak eyes. If there was anyone in the entire universe that could always manage to make him smile, it was Sigyn. But smiling became hard when he knew what fate had in store for his precious wife._

 _"Because it's the end, isn't it?" Loki asked gently, taking her hand in his. He met her soft brown eyes and pursed his lips together. He leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her hand. Sigyn smiled at him, meeting his eyes. "This isn't the end." She whispered. "I promise you." Sigyn told him, squeezing his hand with what strength she had left. His eyes softened as he got up from his chair. Loki leaned down and pressed another soft kiss to her forehead. "You better not break that promise, Sigyn."_

 _The man decided to let go of his wife's hand,"I have to excuse myself." He apologized. Loki could only sit there for so long before he drove himself crazy. "Will you excuse me?" He asked before standing up._ _Sigyn could see the desperation in his eyes. She could also see the guilt. He loved her so much but he couldn't hide from his guilt. He felt like a coward for waiting one minute to himself._

 _Even if it was only one minute._

 _"Go." She said weakly, knowing she couldn't keep him trapped in that room with her any longer. Loki examined her expression, checking to see if she was sincere. He knew she was sincere but he still was wracked with guilt. He gave his wife a soft smile before standing up and excusing himself from the room._

 _It hurt seeing her like that. She was once a woman that was full of life but now she was a ghost of her former self. He felt entirely responsible for putting her there, transforming her from a blushing bride into a corpse that was waiting to die. She had, in fact, grown so pale that she was starting to resemble a ghost. Loki feared that any moment soon she would become a ghost._

 _His eyes shifted as soon as he sensed another presence, an unwanted guest that awaited outside of the chambers._

 _Loki wasn't expected to see his brother, especially after the way he treated him in their last conversation. Thor shifted his eyes from the ground and looked at Loki. He cleared his throat, a little ashamed to be seen back at the doors of the chambers. He knew he wasn't welcome during this time._

 _"I can leave if you want me to." His voice was soft which surprised Loki but Thor knew how badly his brother was hurting. Loki noticed that Thor sounded as guilty as he felt and decided to take pity on his brother. He knew Thor had made a mistake the last time he was there despite the fact Sigyn refused to tell him what her conversation with his brother had been about. Loki only knew that Thor had offended her greatly._

 _He sighed,"You can stay out here as long as you want. Just as long as you don't disturb her." Loki spoke firmly, knowing better than to let him in right away. Thor looked at the doors before nodding his head. It was more than enough for him. "Of course. Anything you say. I wouldn't dream of disturbing her... especially after last time." Thor still sounded guilty which only made his brother curious. Loki decided to leave it, however, at least for now._

 _"You know... I– I think I'm tricking myself into thinking she looks better. But she's– the same. Perhaps, she's worse. I think I'm too close to tell. I can't even look her in the eyes these days." Loki didn't know why he was telling his brother the truth._

 _Maybe it was because, no matter how much they fought, they always had forgiven each other._

 _Thor frowned, feeling sympathy for his brother. "I'm sorry, brother." He told Loki, "Truly I am." Thor added, trying to catch his brother's gaze but Loki would not look at him. The young man shook his head a little,"Oh, for what? It wasn't you who did this to her." Loki reminded._

 _"It wasn't you who did this either–"_

 _"It was." Loki cut his brother off before he had the chance to defend him. He didn't deserve it. Loki couldn't sit and let another person he cared about tell him that it wasn't his fault._

 _It was._

 _"This was my doing and now she is the one who is paying for it." Loki said, his voice full of regret. He shook his head again as his guilt consumed him. "You know... out of every punishment I've ever received– I could withstand all of them at once if it meant that I didn't have to sit there and watch her die." He confessed, tears coming to his eyes once again._

 _His brother looked at him with soft eyes,_ _"She is going to forgive you for this." Thor assured him, believing that would change his mind or at least make him feel better. But it only made Loki feel worse._ _"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. For once in your goddamn life, please shut up." Loki demanded._ _Thor furrowed his brows, upset that Loki was refusing his help._

 _"She will. You know that she will." Thor insisted._

 _"She already has!" Loki shouted, cutting him off before he could say anything else of the same nature. He pursed his lips together before a tear slipped down his cheek._ _"Her and her bleeding heart– she already has..." Loki trailed off as his eyes fell to the ground._

 _Loki almost sounded resentful. Sigyn was the noblest person he had ever met and he could never compare to her and her kindness. She has always forgiven him. No matter what he did, she has always forgiven him. Thor looked at him brother and realized something. "_ _She forgave you for everything the day she married you... didn't she?"_

 _He wanted to laugh at his brother words. But his pain stopped him._ _"She's my wife." Loki said simply. There was no other way for him to put it. Thor smiled a little at the thought,"I guess that's why Father gave her such a fitting title." He chuckled. Loki managed to laugh a little this time._

 _"The Goddess of Fidelity." Loki nodded his head._

 _However, his smile left as soon as it came. "She told me this isn't the end." Loki admitted, looking over at his brother. "But I don't know if I believe her. She promised me... but it just seems... too far-fetched." He sighed._

 _Thor looked over at the closed doors and he smiled to himself. "I don't think I've ever known Sigyn to break a promise." He was suddenly reminded of her good nature. Loki smiled a little himself,"She hasn't. Not in the time we've known her." He agreed. Thor paused for a moment before he looked at his brother._

 _Thor didn't have to ask for Loki to know what he wanted._

 _"If she's fallen asleep, I forbid you from waking her–"_

 _"Thank you, brother." Thor was quick to embrace Loki, much to the man's surprise._

 _He moved in such a hurry to throw open the doors of the chamber. Thor rushed in with no hesitation, excitement on his face. He had always been close to Sigyn. She was always his dearest friend and closest companion. But his excitement soon faltered at the sight of the woman. She had grown much worse since the last time he saw her._

 _But i_ _t didn't take long for him to realize what had happened._

 _She was gone._

 _"LOKI!" He shouted, his voice echoing in the chambers._

 _Outside, a storm had brewed in Asgard. The skies cried thunderously as lightning clashed. Thor rushed to Sigyn's side and he took a hold of her hand. But he knew in his heart that the woman was no longer with them. He couldn't believe it. The last time he saw Sigyn, she was alive._

 _Loki had fallen painfully still by the doors. He watched as his brother clung to his wife's hand in horror. His worst fear had finally come true. He was now in a world without Sigyn. Loki couldn't believe it. It almost seemed like a nightmare he was bound to wake up from eventually._

 _Despite his pain, he was able to realize something. It was something that only made it worse. He had spent the last few moments of her life with his brother. Loki realized he should've been by her side, not catching up with Thor. He should've never asked her for a few minutes. Especially if he had known they would be her last._

 _"What do we do? There much be something we can do." Thor pleaded, turning to look at his brother. But Loki shook his head as he took a few steps inside the chambers. "I wish there was, brother. More than anything." Loki said quietly as he stared at the ground._

 _His eyes finally found their way back to his wife. His dead wife. Loki stared at her,"You better keep that promise, Sigyn."_


	2. Promises We Can't

_When she was a child, she stayed wide awake._

 _It only made things easier. As hard as it was... she had to remember that it meant she would always be able to see the monsters coming._

 _"Stephanie?"_

 _For a moment, she believed she was dreaming. But when the voice came again, she realized that she wasn't. "What are you doing?" Stephanie turned her head to notice that her foster brother was awake. Connor wasn't the youngest out of the three of them. He was eight years old, only two years younger than she was. His little sister, Cadie, took the mantle of being the youngest. She was about to start the first grade in a month and a half but her sixth birthday was still a few weeks away._

 _Connor shifted in the lower bunk of the bunk bed. He leaned over, checking to see if he had woken up his little sister but he was content to see that she was still asleep. He decided to slip out from underneath his covers so he could join Stephanie. The girl was sitting cross-legged by the door with a rolling pin in her lap. "What are you doing with that?" Connor asked as he joined her on the floor._

 _"I have it. Just in case." It was hard for her to explain. Stephanie didn't want to scare him but he was new to that foster home. Connor and Cadie had only arrived a little over two weeks ago. Stephanie had been there for almost three months. Connor followed her gaze to the bedroom door. He noticed that she had placed a chair underneath the handle for extra measure. He blinked and swallowed a lump in her throat. "Are they that bad?" He asked her._

 _She shrugged her shoulder vaguely. "He stopped coming in when you two arrived. But your sister's five... so I'm not going to drop my guard." She explained to him. Connor was surprised by her words,"Have you been doing this since we arrived?" He asked. Stephanie nodded her head,"Every night." She replied. Stephanie frowned before looking over at him,"I promise, I'll keep you and your sister safe." She told him. Connor couldn't understand how she could be so calm about it. But he wasn't used to the foster system._

 _He and his sister had only been in the system for six months._

 _"Drugs?" Stephanie surprised him with her question. He blinked and shook his head at her,"No." He answered. "Death?" She tried again. Connor shook his head again,"You were closer the first time." He admitted. "Drinking." Her words finally landed as she looked over at him. The look he gave her confirmed her guess. "I'm sorry." Stephanie told him._

 _"Was it death for you?" Connor questioned. Despite being new to the system, he was able to tell when other children like him were victims of their parents' substance abuse. It was an experience that he could recognize. While he saw some traces of it on her, it wasn't as close. Which led him to believe that if she had experienced it, it came from people who weren't her real parents. Foster parents, maybe, but not her own parents._

 _Stephanie shook her head. "No." She told him with a slight laugh. "Actually... they... they just didn't want me." She admitted in her answer. Connor knew some of the children were abandoned but he had never lived with one who had been before. "How old were you?" He asked. "Too young to remember." She remarked._

 _All of a sudden, the door handle started to jiggle. Someone on the other side was trying to open the door. Stephanie jumped to her feet and kept a firm hold of the rolling pin she had. However, a kick came to the door that startled her. Despite being so prepared, she wasn't sure if she was able to fight her foster father off._

 _"What do you we?" Connor asked in a rush, seeing the fear on her face. "Wake your sister. I have an idea." Stephanie told him._

 _Connor didn't question her. He rushed back to the bunk bed, climbing up a few rungs on the latter so he could reach his sister. "Cadie." He whispered but she didn't stir. He poked her side a few times and earned a soft moan from her. "Come on!" Connor didn't mean to shout but he needed to wake her. Stephanie whipped her head over to look at him._

 _"What the fuck are you kids doing? Open this door!" Their foster father yelled from the other side of the door. She knew he was drunk, he had to be otherwise he wouldn't have come to their door this late at night. "The window! Connor, the window!" Stephanie shouted in a panic. Connor dragged his little sister out of bed and helped her down._

 _However, Cadie was tired. She couldn't keep up with the other two who were well awake. Connor decided to lift her into her arms, making sure that despite her exhaustion that Cadie was still holding on to him. "What's going on, Connie?" Cadie whispered as she held on to her brother. "Shh, don't worry about it, Cadie." He tried to calm her but he sounded as panicked as Stephanie was._

 _The boy made his way over to the window. He opened it slightly, surprised at the fall of rain that entered their bedroom as soon as he did. "It's raining outside." Connor informed. Stephanie frowned over at him,"Does that really matter? Get it open. We can climb down through the fire escape!" She explained. Connor nodded his head at her before opening the window._

 _Despite the unpleasant weather, he climbed outside onto the fire escape. The door busted open and their foster father came into the room. Connor watched with wide eyes as Stephanie swung the rolling pin at the large man but he just took it away from her. "You little bitch, what do you think you're doing?" He spat at the young girl. The man grabbed a hold of her shoulder, squeezing her hard enough to give her a bruise._

 _"You think you're being some sort of hero right now? You don't know shit about what you're tempting here!" Before her foster father could continue, Stephanie moved quickly and bit down on his forearm. It caused him to let go of her, allowing her to escape. She ran to the window and climbed out onto the fire escape with Connor and Cadie._ _"You three, get away from that window!" He came running at them. "Get the fuck away from that window!" He screamed at them, scaring the three children enough for them to make their decision. Connor nodded his head at Stephanie._

 _By the time their foster father reached the window, Stephanie had managed to push the window shut. The large man howled in pain as the window shut on his fingers, crushing a few of bones as he gripped the window pane. Stephanie stared at him through the closed window, seeing a reflection of herself on the glass._

 _"We have to get out of here." She realized, urging her foster brother to run. Connor didn't need to be asked twice. He took off down the fire escape with his sister still in his arms._

 _Rain poured down on the children but that didn't matter. Only running away did. Connor never truly knew what their foster father was capable of but he knew that Stephanie was scared enough to sit awake with a rolling pin by their bedroom door every night. That was enough for him to trust her. She ran ahead across the street and he followed behind. They weren't even wearing shoes. They were still dressed in their pajamas._

 _Thankfully, it was too late for many people to be out. No one noticed them as they ran down the streets. But after six blocks, they were spotted by a police car that was making rounds. Stephanie halted and whipped her head around. "We have to hide." She rushed out as she searched for an alley they could disappear in. But Connor was started to having his doubts. "They're police, maybe they can help us!" He pointed out._

 _"If we're lucky, they'll just take us back! We'll get put in a new home and that's either worse or the same. Connor, if you and your sister got moved again, how likely is it that you'll stay together?" She said. He had to admit, it was a fear that had been on his mind for awhile. But part of him couldn't just run away. Not like this. It felt wrong to him despite the broken system._

 _Connor didn't move when the police car pulled up to the side of the curb. He couldn't. Stephanie wanted to keep running but she knew better than to leave him behind. As soon as the side door opened, however, she rethought her decision to stay with her foster siblings._

 _She locked eyes with Connor,"I'm sorry." She whispered to him. He realized too late what she was about to do._

 _"STEPHANIE!" He screamed as the girl began to run away again._

 _While she wanted to do the right thing and stay with them, she was too scared. Stephanie kept running, moving faster and faster each time she passed a block. She didn't notice at first but after a few blocks, she realized that one of the cops had followed her. He was young and kept up close behind her despite how fast she was running. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screeched at the cop as he continued chasing her._

 _Stephanie knew she wasn't going to lose him just by running. Eventually, he could catch up to her. He was bigger than her and had longer legs. She couldn't outrun him forever._

 _Her eyes caught sight of a building up ahead. It had a fire escape that led all that way to the roof. If she managed to climb all the way to the top, maybe at one point he would give up. She ran to the building and jumped up, climbing onto the fire escape. The cop had to admit, she was certainly making this harder than it needed to be._

 _" **Officer Triggs, what's your status?** " He froze as he heard his partner come over the walkie on him. He didn't know how to respond at first. He had caught up with the girl but she had started to climb up the fire escape, getting further and further away from him. "In pursuit." He replied before deciding to follow her. He climbed onto the fire escape and was quick as he chased after her. The young man knew she was afraid. But he also knew a lot worse things could happen if he left her alone on the streets. _

_She noticed that he was still chasing after her and she frowned. "Leave me alone!" Stephanie shouted at him as she climbed to the top. "No! You need to stop! Your brother and sister are waiting for you–" He tried but she wasn't listening to him anymore. She had climbed onto the roof. He huffed as he continued climbing._

 _Eventually, he caught up with her. He climbed onto the roof, surprised to see that she had grown still as soon as she reached the roof. The young man eyed her and wondered if she had noticed he was there with her. Stephanie turned her head to look at him. She was tired. He could tell. She was completely soaked from the rain and her bare feet were red and raw from all of the running._

 _Thunder sounded as she looked up at the sky. Lighting flashed. The officer couldn't help but stare at her. She was too young to be running away in fear. He had to admit, he felt deep sympathy for her. "What's your name?" He asked but she didn't respond. She knew better than to tell him her name. "My name's Ethan." The young man tried as he approached her. However, she didn't look at him. She continued to stare at the sky._

 _"It's funny... how you can't see the stars from here." Stephanie said quietly but he was still able to catch it. Ethan moved to her side, keeping his gaze trained on her. "It's raining." He pointed out, unsure of what she was trying to say. Stephanie nodded her head in agreement but an odd smile came to her face. "Still. I think I'd feel safer if I could see them." She admitted._

 _"What's your name?" He decided to try again and this time, she turned to look at him. She met his eyes,"Daisy." She told him. Ethan narrowed his eyes, not believing her lie. "You're not very good at lying, are you?" He asked her. Stephanie pursed her lips together. "I could be." She said quietly. "Let's try again. What's your name?" Ethan questioned. "It's Stephanie." She revealed. "Just Stephanie?" He looked at her._

 _"It's always been... **only** Stephanie." _

* * *

"Triggs!" Maria finally gained the girl's attention. "What are you doing?" She asked.

Stephanie looked around the bridge,"You can see everything from up here, can't you?" The girl remarked with a soft smirk. Maria rolled her eyes slightly at the junior agent but nodded her head nonetheless. "Yes, I suppose you can." Maria agreed. Stephanie looked over, catching a glimpse of a familiar face as they entered the bridge. She locked eyes with the redhead,"Natasha." Stephanie commented, greeting the other agent.

"Hey, kid. New badge?" Natasha asked, noticing the junior agent's new clearance. She pursed her lips together,"Is it because of what happened with Barton?" She wondered. Stephanie shook her head,"No... no. I– uh... I talked Maria into it." She explained. "You talked?" Natasha raised a brow. "I threatened." Stephanie clarified with a short nod. "Nicely." The junior agent added.

Natasha smirked lightly at her, patting her shoulder. "That's my girl." She chuckled.

Her eyes soon found their way on to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s invited guests. Stephanie had to admit, she was excited to meet Bruce Banner. She had always been impressed by his scientific and academic career. She didn't know how to feel about Captain America. It was past her generation, past her time. Even if she heard endless stories from Coulson on how much a hero Steve Rodgers was, he still seemed like an old man despite his youthful appearance.

"Doctor, thank you for coming." Stephanie greeted Bruce, walking over towards the man and extending her hand. Bruce was surprised by the young woman's calm demeanor, knowing he wasn't used to people being calm around him. "Thank you for asking nicely." Bruce replied, shaking Stephanie's hand. He turned to Fury,"So, uh... how long am I staying?" The doctor questioned.

Fury shrugged a little,"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the clear." He said casually. "Where are you with that?" Bruce asked. Fury turned towards Coulson, hoping the agent would be able to explain. "We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cellphones. Laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us." Coulson informed.

Natasha leaned down, examining a computer screen with Clint's face on it. "That's still not gonna find them in time." She remarked. "You have to narrow the field. How many spectrometers do you have access to?" Bruce looked over at Fury. The man crossed his arms,"How many are there?" Fury asked. Bruce looked at the agents,"Call every lab you know. Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places." He suggested. Bruce raised his brows,"Do you have somewhere for me to work?" He asked.

"Agent Romanoff!" Fury called the agent over. "Would you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please." He asked her. She nodded her head at him before looking over at Stephanie. "Permission to take the kid?" She asked. Fury smirked,"Permission granted."

She smiled,"Triggs, you're with me." Natasha told the girl, gesturing for her to join. Stephanie walked over, placing her hands behind her back. "You sure you don't want me with the Captain, Director?" She raised a brow. "No! No– I– I got him." Coulson was a little too excited as he cut in, earning a look from most of the people on the bridge, including Steve. "You'll be fine." Fury told her. She gave him a short nod before joining Natasha.

Natasha looked over at Maria,"I hope you don't mind me taking her for the day." She said. Maria eyed Stephanie,"She's a big girl. She can handle herself." The woman pointed out. Stephanie looked at the both of them, narrowing her eyes. She decided to turn to Bruce who was waiting. "Come with me, Doctor. You're gonna love it. We got all the toys." Stephanie explained as she took the lead in showing him the laboratory.

* * *

" _Romanoff, come in_."

"Yes?" Natasha asked on her communicator, turning away from Bruce and Stephanie to give herself some privacy. They were having a conversation of their own and didn't seem to notice her distancing herself. " _Loki has been spotted. Fury is asking for you and Triggs on the bridge right away._ " Maria informed her. Natasha nodded her head,"And Barton?" She asked. " _He still hasn't popped up on any of our radars_." Maria answered. "Of course not." Natasha whispered to herself. "We'll be right there." She added. She turned to look at Stephanie,"Hey, kid. We're needed on the bridge." Natasha told her.

Stephanie raised her brows,"Can't we stay for a little bit?" She asked, looking over to Bruce. "Leave the poor man alone, Steph. We got bigger fish to fry." Natasha reminded as she left. Stephanie looked back at Bruce,"To be continued?" She asked him. He smiled politely at her with a nod,"Sure." He replied.

Bruce studied her,"You know, I never pictured an agent to be so... academic." He remarked with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Stephanie smiled at him,"You'd be surprised. I know some agents who are practically geniuses." She explained before leaving the room to catch up with Natasha.

The two walked together to the bridge. Stephanie eyed Natasha from the corner of her eye. "You worried about Barton?" She asked. Natasha shook her head a little,"He's a tough guy. He'll be fine." She commented. "But that's not why you're worried." Stephanie pointed out. Natasha smirked a little,"I got to admit, we might all call you a kid, but you know your stuff. It's too bad Hill hardly ever lets you out onto the field." Natasha said. "She's... overprotective." Stephanie defended as they approached the bridge.

"She's wrong if you ask me and if Barton was here, he'd agree with me." Natasha said bluntly as they entered the bridge. "Wouldn't you agree, Coulson?" The redhead asked as the other agent walked by. "I'm not a part of this conversation." Coulson glided by with his hands raised, knowing better than to question Maria's authority. "Coward." Natasha commented with furrowed brows. She looked over at Fury,"We're here." She announced.

"You know that you're late. I've already sent Cap out. You'll be able to join him if you suit up quick." Fury informed her. Stephanie furrowed her brows as she caught sight of a screen. "The target was spotted there?" She questioned as she approached the monitor. Fury stared at the girl,"Yes, and?" He asked her. She frowned,"That's too public. If we weren't able to find him on our radar until now that must mean it's a–" "Distraction." Natasha cut her off. She looked back at Coulson,"See? She's ready." She pointed out.

Fury narrowed his gaze at Natasha,"Ready for what?" He questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I think you know what." Natasha countered, raising a single brow at the man.

He looked over at Stephanie,"Agent Triggs stays here and that's final." He decided, earning a frown from Natasha. "I don't want to hear any buts out of you, Romanoff. Now go suit up." He told her.

There was little for Natasha to do. He had authority over her. She couldn't fight him on it even if she wanted to. "Don't worry, kid. I'll try not to have too much fun without you." Natasha commented before exiting the bridge to go join Steve. She could've stayed and fought a little harder but there was a criminal on the loose that they needed to catch.

Stephanie watched as the woman left. At least there was someone who believed in her. She looked over at Fury,"Was that really the right decision? I've already passed my flight training. You know I'm a good pilot. I could've gone with them." She pointed out. "You're needed here, Triggs." Fury reminded her. She rolled her eyes slightly,"Needed? I know you and Hill love telling me that I'm needed here as an agent but sometimes it feels a lot like you're just trying to keep an eye on me." She confessed.

Fury exchanged a look with Maria before he shifted his gaze over to Coulson. "Agent Coulson, will you please escort Agent Triggs off of the bridge? Find her something to do that doesn't require setting a foot off of this helicarrier." He instructed. Coulson listened to the man but Stephanie was having a harder time accepting it. "I do not need a glorified babysitter, Nick. I need a real mission for once. You know, I actually thought this might be one." She shook her head.

"I was wrong to come in. I don't need your stupid clearance." Stephanie took off her badge and threw it onto the ground before storming off.

Maria pursed her lips together and shook her head,"You know, sometimes I forget how young she is." She commented as Coulson went to collect Stephanie's badge. "I'll go talk to her." Coulson assured them before following the girl. Fury looked over at Maria,"She's twenty-two. She's an adult." He pointed out. Maria shook her head again,"Clearly, she's not old enough. Remind me. Why did we recruit her?" She asked.

"Because we do need her. She just doesn't know it yet." Fury replied.

* * *

Coulson was able to catch up to Stephanie. He held out her badge but she refused to talk it from him as they walked. "You know, you can't just act like a teenager every time–" "Oh, every time they what? They sideline me? Because that's what they're doing." She pointed out as she hardly looked at him. Coulson frowned at the girl. "It took me years to get out on the field myself. But I did. You're young– you shouldn't let a few setbacks stop you." He stopped and put his arm out in front of her, preventing her from walking any further.

She looked down to see that he was still trying to hand over her badge. Stephanie furrowed her brows before taking back what was hers. "Fine." She grumbled as Coulson smiled at her. "Why don't you check on Dr. Banner? I'm sure he could use the company." Coulson suggested. Stephanie nodded her head, accepting that it was a good idea. Coulson nodded his head and started to walk away.

"Thanks." She stopped him before he left. She clipped her badge back into place. "I mean it." Stephanie said. Coulson sent her another smile before parting ways. Stephanie made her way back to the laboratory. She entered the room with her hands clasped behind her back. "Busy, Doctor?" She asked him.

Bruce shook his head lightly as he worked,"Not really. Feel free to sit and observe but I doubt much of this will make sense to you." He commented as he wrote down some notes. Bruce blinked and looked up,"No... no offense." He realized he sounded a little bit rude when he didn't mean to.

Stephanie took no offense, however, and took a seat with her back facing the front door of the lab. She sat there for a while and tried to keep herself entertaining. But there wasn't anything truly entertaining about watching a man like Bruce Banner work. Occasionally, the expression on his face would shift when he reached a new thought but the change was tiny and Stephanie only noticed it after the first few times.

Eventually, Bruce looked up and removed his glasses to stare outside the lab's windows. He rubbed his eyes, letting out a breath. "Is something wrong?" Stephanie asked, noticing the change in his behavior. She turned around to see an escort of armed agents walk down the hall. "It's– it must be– the guy, that we're looking for. The guy, the– Loki..." Bruce commented as he placed his glasses back on. Stephanie turned back to face him and he shrugged at her.

"Excuse me, Doctor. I'll be right back." She told him before exiting the lab. Stephanie eyed the escort and the criminal from behind. She decided to follow at a safe distance but jumped at the sound of someone's voice close behind her. "What do you think you're doing, Agent Triggs?" Fury asked her.

"Jesus!" She exclaimed as she turned back. "Nope. It's just me." Fury wasn't amused as she looked at him. She frowned, knowing she shouldn't have been following. "I know–" "Triggs–" "I am–" "Triggs–" "Sorry!" She shouted, trying to get him to stop interrupting her. "My apologies." She added.

Ahead, Loki froze in his steps. He stopped and turned back to look down the hall. He noticed Fury and Stephanie talking but she had her back towards him. It was her words, however, that got him to stop. There was only one person he had ever known to apologize twice in a row when saying their apologies. He narrowed his eyes as Stephanie began to turn around.

From across the hall, the two of them locked eyes. It didn't take long for him to recognize her but no look of recognition came from her face. Stephanie stared at him and furrowed her brows, wondering why Loki was looking at her.

A part of him began to panic. This wasn't a part of his plans. He kept telling himself that she was nothing but a mortal. A Midgardian who he had tricked himself into thinking shared some resemblance to his dead wife. But something was off. There was something quite chilling about the whole thing.

She wore the same expression on her face that Sigyn had the day they first met. A sort of confused expression that was filled with an odd sort of feeling. Stephanie began frowning, just like Sigyn had, looking hardly impressed by his gaze.

It was her. He was convinced.

"Sigyn!" Loki let the words leave his mouth before he could stop himself. The rational part of him knew it couldn't be her. Even if he was convinced, he knew better. It could be a trick. One trick that had caught him off guard. Loki clenched his teeth together, believing his brother had a part to play in this. That would be the only way they could pull off such a trick.

Stephanie blinked in shock at the sight,"Sig– _what_?" She asked. "Get to the bridge. Take Banner with you." Fury directed her. She looked over at him and he frowned back at her. "Now." He said firmly. She knew better than to question him. She walked back to the lab.

"Dr. Banner. You're requested on the bridge." She said as she entered the laboratory. Bruce looked up from his work and nodded his head. "Alright. You coming with?" He asked her. Stephanie shook her head,"I'll be there shortly. I need to check something first." She kept her answer short. Bruce nodded his head at her once again before exiting.

Once he was gone, she made her way over to one of the computer. She brought up the search feature and typed in the letters: 'S', 'I', 'G', 'Y', and 'N'.

"Tell me... who are you?" She whispered to herself as she waited for the information to load.


	3. Sigyn

**A/N: Anyone else need therapy after IW? Same. *cries a thousand tears***

* * *

Stephanie stared at the computer screen until she couldn't bear to look at it anymore.

One of the first things that came up in her search was an online article about the Norse goddess, which included a famous nineteenth-century painting of the mythological figure. The goddess held up a silver bowl underneath a serpent that was dripping venom from its mouth. Stephanie's eyes fell to the god who laid chained upon the rocks. The goddess was clearly depicted as the god's protector, sparing him from the serpent's venom. She blinked before deciding to read the article, trying to find context to what she was seeing.

"Goddess of... fidelity?" She asked in confusion. Stephanie narrowed her gaze, tensing up when she read the next sentence. " _Wife_ of Loki?!"

Elsewhere in the helicarrier, a god tried not to panic as he was placed in a cage. Loki knew there was no real reason to panic, as everything was going according to plan. The only thing he hadn't counted on was seeing her. He ran every possibility through his head and tried to find something he missed. In truth, he wasn't there to see his wife died. He had been spared that heartache, though still carried guilt because he was not by her side when she passed. It took him many years to realize Sigyn had done that on purpose. She knew the end was fast approaching and allowed him to excuse himself in order to spare him.

And yet, despite knowing this, Loki could never forgive himself for not holding her hand as she wasted away.

He pursed his lips together and wondered why he was experiencing doubt all of the sudden. Loki had never doubted his wife's death before that day. Asgard had held a funeral for Sigyn and he was there to witness her body go up in flames. He watched as she disappeared into stardust, becoming one with the universe. She was gone and he had accepted that a long time ago.

Why was he seeing her now?

Loki started to wonder if it was his own doing. After her death, he had spent years using his magic to keep her alive in his mind. It only hurt him more to do so and eventually his mother had talked him out of doing such a thing. She convinced him that Sigyn would want him to move forward with his life, so he did. He pursued the only other thing in the universe that ever mattered to him, being king. He always thought if he were to be king, Sigyn would be by his side as his queen. But he gave up that dream a long time ago.

She had looked at him in the exact same way. That was what got him. Stephanie had looked at him in nearly the exact same way Sigyn had when the two had first met. He tried to fight off the memory, knowing it wouldn't do any good to remember the way Sigyn was.

* * *

 _There were no words to describe what he felt the moment he first saw her._

 _He knew this moment was coming and yet, he felt like he had no time at all to prepare. Loki could almost imagine how she felt. She had practically been raised for this. Her position had been secured since the day she was born. Sigyn was the first daughter of the noblest families in all of Asgard to be born in quite some time. She was by far the closest in age to the princes and therefore, her family knew she was set to marry one of them one day. It was no secret, especially to her, who was constantly reminded of it since the day she was born._

 _Sigyn had time to prepare and yet, she felt like she had no idea this moment had been coming._

 _All of her family stood behind her as she was presented in front of the king. Sigyn knelt down in front of the man's throne and she tried not to meet his gaze. She was told never to look Odin in the eye but she started to worry that her older brothers were just playing tricks on her. Sigyn hated tricks. She believed them to be dishonest and hurtful. Odin narrowed his gaze as he studied the little girl. She was smaller than he had expected. He tried not to let that influence him since she was still only a child. Though, Odin couldn't help thinking that she somehow resembled a Midgardian mouse more than any other creature found in Asgard or the other nine realms._

 _He turned to his wife, realizing the girl had yet to look at him once since her arrival. "Am I so frightening that the girl can't be bothered to look at me?" Odin questioned. Frigga frowned, feeling sorry for the little girl, especially when she heard the girl's brothers chuckle to themselves._

 _"It's my fault, Father." Loki spoke up loudly, surprising nearly everyone in the throne room, including his brother. Thor stared at Loki in confusion, trying to figure out why his brother would be so stupid and speak up. Loki cleared his throat and the boy locked eyes with Sigyn. "I distracted her." He felt himself smirking a little as she looked at him. Sigyn gave him a puzzled look before frowning, hardly impressed by his attempt to save her. That quickly wiped the smile right off his face._

 _"And how were you distracting her **exactly**?" Odin questioned his son. "Uh..." Loki trailed off and realized that for once, he hadn't thought his words through. He blinked, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation that would silence his father for good on the matter. Thor rolled his eyes at Loki, seeing that Loki wasn't going to get out of this by himself. "It wasn't just him, it was me too." He revealed dramatically. Loki tried not to say anything but he gave his brother a look, knowing there was no need for Thor to be so dramatic. He had the worst acting skills, however, and typically behaved this way whenever they were trying to get away with a trick. _

_Odin became more confused as he turned to his other son,"Excuse me?" He asked Thor. The young boy cleared his throat, looking to Sigyn. "I... I was making this face at her." Thor explained before twisting his facial expression into an amusing one. Sigyn immediately let out a laugh as she watched the boy, hiding her giggle as soon as Odin turned towards her. "Is this true? Were my sons making faces at you?" Odin questioned. Sigyn hesitated to answer, knowing it would be a lie._

 _"It's true!" Loki cut in, recognizing the look on her face. He couldn't allow her to give them away after they embarrassed themselves for her. "I... I made this one." Loki let out a sigh, abandoning his dignity and making a weird face alongside his brother. Sigyn and her brothers laughed at the princes which only made Odin shake his head in disappointment._

 _"My sons... the princes." He lamented, turning over to look at his wife who saw through the rouse. "What do you say? Will this girl make a fine wife to one of our sons?" Odin asked as he reached out his hand. Frigga took his hand and smiled,"I think they're getting along already." She remarked before looking at the children._

 _Both Thor and Loki were watching Sigyn with a smile on their face, which caused Frigga's own smile to falter. She realized at that moment, both of her sons had taken a liking to the noble girl. As both of them had an equal chance of marrying her one day, she started to worry a little about how that would turn out. It would be left for either Sigyn or Odin to decide which one would marry her, but Frigga believed it would be the one most likely to be king._

* * *

Loki watched as the cell doors sealed behind him, remembering that his childhood days were far behind him. He turned to watch as Fury walked over to the controls of the detention room. He began pressing a few buttons on the keypad,"In case it's unclear... you try to escape– you so much as scratch that glass–" Fury paused, opening up a hatch underneath the cell. Loki peered down, hardly frightened by the mortal's threats. "Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?!" Fury called over the sound of wind before he closed the hatch. "Ant." He gestured over at Loki before returning to the keypad. "Boot." He finished.

He began chuckling as he began to walk around the cell. "It's an impressive cage." Loki confessed as he looked around. "Not built, I think, for me." He remarked, knowing that Fury understood who he was talking about. Fury stared coldly at the god,"Built for something a lot stronger than you." He said simply. "Oh, I've heard–" Loki turned, finding the camera in the room. "The mindless beast; makes play he's still a man. How desperate are you, that you call upon such lost creatures to defend you?" Loki wondered with a smirk on his face.

"How desperate am I?" Fury questioned. "You threatened my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill 'cause it's fun. You have me made me very desperate." He said firmly. "You might not be glad that you did."

Loki was almost impressed by the mortal. "Ooh." He commented, continuing to toy with the man. "It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is." Loki said.

Fury smiled small,"Well, you let me know if 'Real Power' wants a magazine or something." He said sarcastically as he began to walk away. Loki turned with a smirk, watching the camera until it blinked, signaling that its feed to the other members of the team had been dismissed. He turned back to Fury, watching the man reach the exit,"Wait!" Loki called, gaining his attention. Fury turned back to face him, raising his brows.

"How did you manage that trick back there?" Loki questioned, knowing he couldn't hold it back any longer. He had to know what it was that he saw. Fury stared at the god in confusion,"What trick?" He asked. Loki studied Fury before he realized something terrible that might prove to be an advantage to him. "My... you don't even know what you have, do you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Fury began to leave again which only angered Loki. "Wait!" He called again. Loki tried to see through the mortal's intentions but he only ended up more confused. "You do know who she is!" Loki accused. "Don't you? You know what she is... You know, I didn't think your kind was capable of those tricks. Is that why she's here? Is that why you brought her here?" Loki wondered. Fury gave him the same look as he did before. "I don't know what you're talking about." He finished, this time not pausing as Loki called out towards him again. Fury exited the detention section of the ship, making his way towards the bridge.

He turned on his communicator. "Hill– update on Triggs. Is she on the bridge yet?" He asked. " _No, Banner said she's still in the lab._ " Maria replied. "Can you please tell her to get her ass on the bridge?" Fury said before hanging up.

* * *

Maria frowned when she realized that Stephanie's communicator had been turned off. She didn't know what the girl was doing but at least she knew that little trouble could come for her in the lab. She knew Fury had given her direct orders to make sure Stephanie reported on the bridge but she saw no harm in letting the girl make her way over by herself. Natasha noticed the look on the woman's face, however, and gave her a look. "Something wrong, Hill?" She asked.

"Kid's running late." Maria explained. Natasha smirked slightly,"Dad's not happy?" She asked and Maria nodded her head in confirmation. Natasha turned her attention back towards the conversation, knowing they were in the midst of planning their strategy against Loki. "He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract." Thor informed.

Steve frowned,"An army? From outer space?" He deadpanned. It wasn't the typical army Steve was used to dealing with. He almost wished he had some of his old friends to fight alongside with to make this mission seem more familiar to him. He could deal with anything if he knew he had Bucky or Jo by his side.

Banner began to think about Thor's information, coming towards some conclusions. "So he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for." Banner pointed out. Thor furrowed his brows,"Selvig?" He asked, not understanding why the familiar name was being mentioned. "He's an astrophysicist." Banner explained. "He's a friend." Thor told him.

"Loki had him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours." Natasha informed, frowning a little when she mentioned Clint. Steve took notice of her expression and decided to change the subject. "I want to know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here." He pointed out. Banner shook his head,"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him." He said.

Thor frowned, angered slightly by the way people were discussing someone he was raised with. "Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother." Thor reminded them. Natasha gave the god a look,"He killed eighty people in two days." She mentioned. "He's adopted." Thor quickly pointed out, knowing how that sounded.

"Iridium... what did they need the Iridium for?" Banner asked, realizing no one was mentioning it, just as Tony Stark walked in with Agent Coulson. "It's a stabilizing agent." Tony pointed out before turning to Coulson. He quickly told the agent something before turning back towards the group. "Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D." Tony said as he began to walk around the bridge.

Tony passed Thor, tapping him on the arm. "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing." He complimented before referring back to the matter at hand. "Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants." He said as he turned around, studying the crew of the helicarrier. "Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the top sails." He joked before pointing. "That man is playing GALAGA! Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did." Tony commented as he tried covering one of his eyes.

"How does Fury do this?" He asked as he examined the monitors. Maria glared at the man,"He turns." She answered simply.

He looked over at the agent,"Well, that sounds exhausting." Tony sighed. "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube." He mentioned. Maria narrowed her eyes,"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" She questioned. Tony looked over at her,"Last night." He said honestly.

Tony turned to see none of the others seemed to catch on to what he was talking about. "The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?" Tony asked. Steve sighed, trying to fight an eye roll. He was far too much like Howard, maybe even worse. "Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" He asked. "He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." Banner informed the captain. "Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect." Tony suggested.

Banner looked over at the man,"Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet." He said. Tony smiled,"Finally, someone who speaks English." He said as he walked over to introduce himself to the doctor. Steve furrowed his brows,"Is that what just happened?" He asked Natasha, to which she just shrugged her shoulders.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner." Tony shook hands with the man. "Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." He complimented. Banner felt a little uncomfortable at the mention of the Hulk and looked down,"Thanks." He said quietly.

Fury walked in,"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him." He clarified as he walked in, overhearing their conversation. He scanned the bridge for any signs of Stephanie, sending Maria a look when he saw she wasn't there yet. "Let's start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon." Steve suggested. Fury looked over at the captain,"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys." He said.

"Monkeys? I do not understand." Thor remarked.

Steve blinked, realizing that he did. "I do!" The man announced, overly excited. "I understood that reference." Steve said, proud of himself, as Tony rolled his eyes at him. Tony turned back towards Banner. "Shall we play, doctor?" He asked. Banner nodded his head,"Let's play some." He agreed and left with Tony, heading back towards the lab.

It wasn't long after that Stephanie finally returned to the bridge. She caught's Maria's attention almost instantly and the agent rushed over to meet her. "What the hell have you been doing? Your communicator's off." She pointed out. Stephanie hardly looked over at Maria,"I know. I'm the one who turned it off." She replied coldly. Her eyes never left Fury but the man didn't seem to notice. She felt a mixture of angry and confusion grow inside her. Stephanie knew he was keeping something from her but she couldn't figure out what.

"Fury!" Stephanie called, grabbing his attention. She pushed past Maria and barged over to the man. Before she could reach him, however, Natasha got out of her chair and stepped in front of Fury. The woman stared her down,"Cool it, kid. Why don't you tell me what's going on?" She asked gently. "Out of my way, Nat!" Stephanie couldn't stop herself from shouting. "Calm down, Agent Triggs." Fury warned her firmly, entirely displeased with the way she was behaving. He knew she was amongst some of the younger agents but Nick Fury would not tolerate this behavior from any other agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Steve studied the situation before looking at Thor, who simply shrugged his shoulders in response. Both were confused until Thor caught a glimpse of the agent who was causing the scene. He nearly fell over in shock.

"Sigyn?" Thor asked.

Stephanie pointed her finger at the god. "There it is! There it is again! What the hell is going on, Fury?!" She exclaimed before looking back at the man. Maria furrowed her brows, looking over at Thor. "Nick?" She asked as she turned back towards him. Fury stared at the both of them before shaking his head. He was in an impossible position, one that he knew eventually he'd be in.

"You're dismissed, Triggs." Fury said suddenly, unsure if that was the final decision he wanted to make. But once the words left his mouth, he stuck with them. Stephanie frowned at him,"Dismissed? I am not leaving this bridge until you–" She began to argue but stopped as he raised his hand at her. "If you don't leave now, I will dismiss you from your position. Permanently." Fury threatened, pointing at the junior agent.

He turned to Maria,"Take her someplace she can't cause any problems." Fury ordered. Maria hesitated at first, tempted to go against his orders. "Hill!" Fury yelled at her and she quickly nodded her head, grabbing a hold of the junior agent. She gripped Stephanie's forearm, dragging her away from the group.

"Where are you going with her?" Thor questioned, his eyes never leaving Stephanie. "Unhand her, peasant!" He found himself shouting at Maria. Thor paused and realized his behavior was foolish. Whoever that agent was, there was no chance she could be the goddess he knew. He pursed his lips together, wondering if his brother had managed to see her. Thor could almost imagine his reaction. He knew very well what it was like for Loki to lose his wife. Thor knew how much this would hurt him, how many wounds this could reopen.

Thor looked over again and managed to lock eyes with Stephanie. "You!" She shouted, recognizing who he was. She never worked on the Asgardian case but Coulson had told her stories about it. She knew who he was and knew he could have answers for her. "Is it true? Do I look like her– who was she? Who was Sigyn?!" She wasn't strong enough to fight against the senior agent and found herself being dragged away.

Silence filled the bridge as everyone looked away and tried to forget the girl's outburst. Thor stood, frozen, trying to figure out what he just had seen. He remembered the serpent's venom. He remembered how Sigyn never left Loki's side when he bore that punishment. Thor knew that's what Midgardians believed to be her myth, her _only_ myth, but Sigyn knew her to be much closer to him than that.

* * *

 _"Sigyn. Daughter of Sigurd. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Thor approached with a smile. Sigyn stood in the palace gardens, admiring the flowers. She still carried the glow of a newlywed, or maybe that was just his imagination. She appeared to be happy, at least, with her new life. It gave Thor great pleasure to see she was enjoying being married to his brother. It reminded him that he made the right choice._

 _"I thought you were too busy to meet me." She remarked, giving him a look. Thor chuckled lightly, leaning against one of the garden statues, nearly knocking it over. He cleared his throat,"What made you think that?" Thor asked, pretending to be sheepish. She stared at him which only made him more nervous. Sigyn had become much better at detecting lies ever since she married Loki. "You're not still in love with me, are you?" She asked him._

 _Thor laughed off her question before falling instantly silent when she gave him another look. "N-no." He answered, clearing his throat once again. Sigyn narrowed her eyes at him before breaking out into laughter. She turned back towards the flowers,"I'm only teasing, Thor." She told him. Thor let out a relieved chuckle,"I knew that." The young man argued, moving next to her. "Why did you write me... Sigyn?" He asked her._

 _She looked away from the flowers and began to walk around the gardens, Thor following close behind her. "You don't still love me, do you?" He joked. Sigyn paused, looking back at him and rolling her eyes. "I was never in love with you, Thor." The woman sighed as she continued walking. "But I told you once and I meant it then– I mean it now. Nothing has changed for me." She whispered._

 _He watched her with soft eyes, letting out a sigh before continuing to follow her. He stayed close behind,"Then why did you write to me? It must be something you can't tell your husband... otherwise, you would've told him." Thor pointed out. Sigyn frowned as she looked away from him. She looked down at her hand and studied the ring that Loki had given her on their wedding day. "I am plagued by nightmares." Sigyn finally revealed, turning to face him. "I have terrible dreams. I dream about death and destruction... the fall of Asgard. I don't know why... all I know is– you'll think I'm crazy if I told you." She realized and turned away again._

 _"What? No. I could never think you crazy, Sigyn." Thor assured her, taking a hold of her arm. Sigyn stopped, looking back to meet his eyes. "I think I'm cursed." She confessed with a scared look on her face. He furrowed his brows,"Cursed?" He questioned. Sigyn nodded her head with tears in her eyes,"Yes... and I think Loki is the one who cursed me." It pained her to say it, he could see that. Thor knew it broke her heart to speak those words against him. He knew how much she loved him._

 _"I... I don't understand– Loki loves you–" Thor began to reason with her but she only moved away from him. "I knew you wouldn't believe me!" She exclaimed, finding that there was anger within herself. Sigyn didn't know why she was surprised, she was angry. She thought "Something's... something's happening to me, Thor, and I'm frightened." Sigyn told him. He looked at her, realizing she was being truthful. He took a few careful steps towards her,"Why– what does my brother have to do with it?" Thor asked quietly._

 _Sigyn held out her hand towards him,"Try... try taking off t_ _he Andvaranaut." She instructed. Thor furrowed his brows, almost laughing at how ridiculous her request was. "I'm sorry?" He questioned, completely confused. She frowned and sent him a glare. "Do what I say, Thor." Sigyn ordered him. Thor knew better than to argue with her and took her hand in his, grabbing a hold of the ring. He tried pulling the ring off, finding it stuck to her finger. Thor tried again, putting more of his strength into the task. "This doesn't happen to work like the hammer, does it?" He asked, out of breath._

 _She rolled her eyes, moving her hand away. She attempted to pull the ring off her finger but failed exactly the way he had. Thor blinked before chuckling,"Perhaps we should ask Loki–" "I am not asking my husband to take off my wedding ring, Thor." She said firmly, almost scaring him the process. Thor stared at the ring before shaking his head. "It might be enchanted but I refuse to believe the ring's cursed. Loki said it brought its previous owner great wealth and fortune." He pointed out._

 _"Yes, and how did he get this ring from its previous owner?" Sigyn asked, wiping the calm expression off of Thor's face._

 _The woman moved over to his side, placing her hands over his. "Please, Thor, go to_ _Andvari. Find out what you can. If it is something else that is causing my misery, I'd like to be prepared for whatever it is." Sigyn begged him. Thor looked at her before nodding his head. "I suppose I can't tell my brother about any of this." He sighed. She nodded her head, trying to give him an encouraging smile but stopped when she realized it wasn't sincere. "I don't like lying to him either..." She told him with a sad look in her eyes._

 _"If my brother did... curse you–"_

 _"I'll tell him." Sigyn said, trying to sound firm in her answer but her voice faltered._

 _He knew it was the kind of news she never wanted to tell him. "I could always..." Thor began to suggest but ended up chuckling at how it sounded. While he was more than glad to do anything for Sigyn, he knew he couldn't do a thing. Loki would probably turn into a snake and stab him again if he tried._

 _"Thank you– for even suggesting it." She told him sincerely. "Always." He assured her, sending her a nod with a smile._

* * *

"Have you gone insane, Triggs?" Maria scolded the girl as she paced the floor of the debriefing room. Stephanie groaned, holding her head in her hands. She couldn't look up, she couldn't bear to face her senior officer after the way she acted. She knew she had freaked out but Stephanie saw no other logical explanation for it. The whole situation seemed already crazy enough, maybe it wasn't that bad that she acted a little crazy herself.

"Take it easy on the kid. She's clearly having a bad day." Natasha attempted to get Maria to ease up but she just sent Natasha a look. Natasha raised her hands up innocently, not trying to step on the other woman's toes. "I should take away your new clearance right now." Maria huffed as she continued to pace. Stephanie blinked and looked up at the woman,"But... you're not going to?" She realized.

Maria paused and shrugged her shoulders. "I– I don't know. There are things that Fury isn't telling you–" She admitted. Stephanie nearly jumped out of her chair,"I knew it." She said, a spark igniting in her eyes. Maria shook her head,"No, no! Sit your ass back in that chair, Triggs, you aren't going anywhere!" She declared. Stephanie frowned at her senior officer, sinking back into the chair.

She crossed her arms over her chest,"This job sucks." Stephanie lamented.

Natasha looked over at Maria, raising a brow. Maria hand up her hand,"Do not give me that look, Nat." She told her firmly, a stern look on her face. Natasha let out a sigh, studying Stephanie. Maria continued to pace the floor but stopped when she noticed the puzzled look on Natasha's face. "What?" She asked quietly, taking a step closer so Stephanie wouldn't hear them. "Why did he call her that? _Sigyn_?" Natasha questioned. Maria let out a sigh,"Above your clearance." She said simply.

"Above my clearance? What are you and Fury trying to hide?" Natasha smirked a little, looking back over at Stephanie. She darted her eyes back to Maria, seeing the woman's gaze wasn't on them. Natasha took this as her chance, catching Stephanie's eyes. "Read my lips." Natasha mouthed. Stephanie blinked before nodding her head. Natasha paused and watched as Maria continued her pacing, waiting until her back was turned once again. "I have a plan." She mouthed.

Stephanie furrowed her brows, studying Maria's pacing before finding another opportunity. "What?" The girl mouthed back to Natasha. Maria paused suddenly, hearing Fury's voice over her communicator. She turned towards Natasha,"Watch her, will you?" She asked. Natasha nodded her head immediately and Maria pursed her lips, looking at the two of them before exiting the room.

They waited until she was out of earshot to began speaking. "Do you want to speak to a god?" Natasha asked suddenly and leaned in, meeting Stephanie's eyes. "Fury won't let me anywhere near Thor after what I did." Stephanie pointed out. Natasha smirked,"I'm not talking about Thor." She told her.


End file.
